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Superior History

Harrington Avenue - Ray Court Heritage District

In her will, executed in 1899, Victoria McVicar stated, "As to my Port Arthur property I direct that the ten acres block known as the "Homestead" property lying between Court and Algoma streets, shall be sold by my executor as soon as convenient." This land was finally sold in 1903 and divided by James Meek into 32 lots. Today, it is a highly regarded residential neighbourhood with dozens of classic heritage homes. It is currently under review by the city of Thunder Bay for a designation as a Heritage District, as having significant historical and architectural significance.

Starting along Algoma Street, technically outside the Homestead Lot, but included in the Heritage District is the Campbell House, currently home to the Masala Restaurant.

Daniel Campbell was a Port Arthur city councillor from 1925-26. He was also heavily involved in the early automobile industry in PA as a sales man and manager.

After it was converted from a private residence into a restaurant in 1984 it was known as Harrington Court Restaurant, a nationally renowned restaurant. On April 10th, 2002, a fire gutted the interior of the restaurant but left the outside unharmed. After its subsequent sale and renovation it reopened first as chinese style eatery and later as an East Indian/Thai Restaurant

The house, in spite of all its renovations, is still a good example of Tudor Architecture here in Thunder Bay.

All that remains of the former Port Arthur Brewery is their commercial store which has been renovated into a florist's shop.
The site and lands of the former brewery have been redeveloped into the Brookside Condominium Development.

After the new developments along Algoma Street lay a half dozen homes dating from the turn of the century.

The one shown to the left retains the most of its original architectural features including the hexagonal 'Bay' windows on the left-hand side of the picture.

The remaining homes along this short stretch of Algoma Street are all of the same basic design, but suffer from being converted into apartment suites. The stretch of Algoma Street was originally labeled on Port Arthur city maps as McVicar Square. The label disappeared in the early 1940s.

The parking lot of the Port Arthur Medical Center is made up of building lots, primarily, but also occupies a part of McVicar Square. It was through this lot that Emmerson Avenue once connected to Algoma Street and McVicar Square. The lot has also been called Harrington Square.

Harrington Avenue derives its name from Norman W. Harrington, the stepson of James Meek, the man who subdivided the original Homestead lot for individual sale and development.

The homes along Harrington Avenue are not all included in the proposed Heritage District. Many were built late in the development and are not architecturally or historically relevant. There are technically only three homes along Harrington included in the proposal.

The most unique feature of this property is the two story hexagon-shaped tower in the southwest corner (left-hand side of photograph).
It was built in 1907 and also features a cross-gabled roof, and sandstone window sills.

This home was built in 1955 but is included in the Heritage District due to its unique distinction of being built directly into the side of the hill with its upper level being on the same elevation as the Port Arthur Medical Center and its lowest level being at the same elevation as Harrington Avenue.

This house was also built in the late 1950s but is included in the Heritage District due to its unique building styles such as the sandstone used to make the chimney and its continuation around the foundation of the home to the front entrance.

Emmerson Avenue derives its name from James Thompson Emmerson, a developer, contractor, and local hardware store owner. On a 1928 Land Use Map it is incorrectly labeled as Emerson Avenue.

Missing from Emmerson Avenue are some of the original homes. They have been torn down to make way for parking at the Port Arthur Medical Centre. Their former locations can be seen if you know where to look. a concrete path and cut hedges mark the former front of one house. A shed on the wrong side of a property line marks another.

This home was originally constructed in 1909. The front of the house features the two story 'bay' windows and there is also a 'bay' window on the side of the house. The front porch has a stone base and romanesque columns.
The roof features gabled dormers.

This home was originally built in 1906. The sunroom on the side was added to the home in 1924 and the roof of the sunroom serves as a second floor balcony. The roof design changes half way across the roof.

One of the most busy, architecturally, of the neighbourhood homes. Originally built in 1907 it features detailed brick work, an angled wall facing the southeast corner of the property, a highly detailed chimney, gabled dormers, and a pyramidal designed roof.

Built in 1906 the house features the arched windows in the front, as well as the brick string course between the second and first floors.

The main features of this home are its semi-detached tower with conical roof and the distinctive curled lip separating the first and second floor.

Clad in Simpson Island Sandstone this home has changed very little from when it was constructed in 1906. It features oval windows with prominent keystones, a covered verandah, a second story balcony with wrought iron railing, a two-story 'bay' window on the front, and romanesque columns supporting the upper balcony from the first.

Ray Court was almost an afterthought in the design of this development. It is named for Samuel Wellington Ray, a former Port Arthur Alderman, Shuniah Reeve, and Port Arthur Mayor.

The Creek-facing side of the home features a gabled stone tower, two chimneys, and all of the windows have a stained-glass portion.

The garage on the Ray Court facing side of the home was converted into a room within the house and no longer serves as a garage. The porch has been enclosed. A greenhouse formerly graced the side of the house but has been replaced with a more modern wood deck.

This home, like the three others built along this side of Ray Court, was built facing McVicar's Creek. It features a warp-around verandah, a stone exterior (instead of the more common brick), two stone chimneys, and romanesque columns on the verandah.

One of the last homes to be built along the side of the creek, this one nonetheless follows the previous two in having its front facing the creek.

At the lower end of Ray Court lies McVicar Manor, one of the signature homes of the proposed heritage district. It is a Queen Anne design red sandstone building that features a three story tower, a wrap-around verandah, enclosed sun porch, and gabled dormers.

The Verandah nearest the creek was rebuilt in the 1960s. During a labour battle between the then owner, Harvey Smith, and the drivers of the shipping company he owned, a crude explosive was detonated, destroying the original verandah in an attempt to scare Harvey into capitulating to the truckers demands.

The rear of the house features another enclosed sun porch and the original carriage house, facing out onto Ray Court.

Maudsley Court is certainly another signature building in the Harrington Avenue Heritage District.

Built in 1914 it is one of the grandest surviving examples of the Art Nouveau style in Thunder Bay.

It's crenellated roof trim gives it the appearance of a castle and its elegance is enhanced by its location along the edge of McVicars Creek. It features a stone foundation, brick arch work, and keystones atop many of the windows. South facing sunrooms grace one side of the building. The building, itself, is also split into 4 distinct quadrants, also unique in Thunder Bay.

Though not part of the Heritage District, McVicar Estates is another interesting feature of the neighbourhood. Built in 1978 the 6-storey condominium project has taken great pains to be aesthetically pleasing and not an architectural eyesore in a historic neighbourhood. Many people might argue, however, that is not possible and its very presence is the disruption.

Elgin Street was named in honour of James Bruce, the eighth Earl of Elgin and Governor of Canada from 1847-1854.

None of the homes on Elgin Street are currently included in Heritage District but there are some notable homes, nonetheless.

The home on the corner of Court and Elgin Street is unique in its placement on the lot - almost right against the edge of the lot. It features an enclosed sun porch as well. It was built in 1905. Its placement on the lot allows for a deceptively large yard.

This house was also built in 1905. It is unique in the fact that it was built, like the homes on Ray Court, to face McVicar's Creek. It features an expansive garden on the Elgin Street side of the house.

This specific home originated on the opposite side of Elgin Street. It was moved to its current position in 1969 when construction began on the site of the future Ecole Franco-Superieur (then St. Andrew's).

At the base of Elgin Street lies this home. Built in 1906 it features with its gabled dormer windows, covered wraparound sun porch, and second floor balcony (albeit without railing).

In 1969 dozens of homes along River Street, Elgin Street, and Cumberland Street were torn down to make room for a new Catholic primary school. St. Andrew Catholic School operated for 21 years, until 1992, when it finally fell to the budgetary axe. In 1993 the school was purchased by Aurores Boreales and reopened as l'ecole Franco-Superior, Thunder Bay's first completely French, language and cultural, catholic school. The school is an open concept design, quite modern. In 2006 an addition was constructed on the River Street side of the school, adding on classrooms for a rapidly expanding school population, eliminating the school yard in the picture below.

If one were to look closely above the name on the River Street side of the school, you can make out the mounting holes for the previous school's name - St. Andrew School.

The decorating cornerstone, commemorating the year of construction.

It may be a little hard to see but there are off centered, paved over, hand and foot holes. As the parking lot was once a playground, these walls were available for climbing. Quite unsafe by today's standards.

It is now a parking lot, but once this area was two half basketball courts, and students played here during recess. Other amenities no longer present included monkey bars and the above mentioned climbing holes.

When the school was St. Andrew school, there were many more points of entrance to the school yard than there are now. They were closed off simply by stringing chain link across the openings, but you can easily see them by the concrete paths that used to go through.

In place of the former asphalt playground, Aurores Boreales has teamed up with EcoSuperior on a project to bring nature back into the school yard. The two organizations have planted dozens of trees in the back playground of the school. They have also put composting bins into place, as well as fencing, benches, play structures, and a new Basketball court.

The former play equipment was removed after the closure of St. Andrew School.
The planted trees are divided into two distinct areas - the Coniferous Forest and Deciduous Forest. Each are contained behind split rail fences with seating provided. As well a meandering path around the school yard has been provided.

To commemorate this pairing up of resources a plaque has been placed along the rear walking path.

En reconnaissance du grand dévouement
de l'A.P.E. de l'école to Franco-Supérieur
envers nos enfants.

Juin 2001

Translated:

In recognition of the great devotion
of the A.P.E. catholic school Free-Superior
towards our children.

June 2001

The Graduating class of 2001-2002 was allowed to leave their mark on the school yard, the same year the first stage of the school yard's redevelopment. Subsequent classes have not be afforded the same opportunity.

Back along Court Street, heading away from River Street and towards McVicar Creek, neither of these homes are part of the main heritage district but have been proposed as secondary homes associated with the district.

A classic house featuring the 'bay' windows again, as well as an open porch on the first floor and an enclosed sun room on the second floor. Gabled windows on the roof complete the beauty of the house.

This house features another prominent two-story turret, and a recent addition to the rear of the house. The foundation is quite prominent, being stone and composed of darker stones at that. The front porch has also been replaced, and its former position can be discerned against the brick facade, as can a second story door, which once led to a verandah above the porch.

Although it has been extensively modified as an extension of the Health Center, this former home is still quite impressive. Gone are the Greek-revival columns and porch on the front of the building, as well as the second floor balcony. The gabled dormers survive on the roof, as do the keystones above the main floor windows. Unique is the arch above the main front door.

This sign is a little out of date - the Port Arthur Clinic ceased to exist in 2003. It is now the Port Arthur Health Center.

The second floor of the Health Center was added in 1989 to provide more space for specialist physicians. Closer inspection shows a different pattern and brick type used in the construction of the second floor. Attempts were at least made for uniformity though.

Probably the original retaining wall that ran in front of the houses that used to occupy the site of the current Health Center building.

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Harrington Avenue - Ray Court Heritage District